Oh no, the cover. What kind of crap is that?
STATE OF EVIDENCE have definitely won the Trash Award 2011 with their album cover for “Something strange in the neighbourhood“. Generally speaking, especially in the category of “Most Dull Cover”.
Why would anyone make such a cover? To shock students? To attract older generations who then think this must be a great band for the older folks, only to be shocked?
Recorder and glockenspiel, the things one should learn in school and then quickly turns against. The involvement of parents was for naught by the time one first sat down at the drums and started banging away.
The boy just wants to make noise. And when four boys are together, they make even more noise. This noise has been creatively transformed into music by the four young men from Oldenburg.
Contrary to the cover, there is no recorder to be heard here, but rather fine college punk rock with some emo influence and a touch of punk'n'roll.
The songs are pleasing, the recording very good, almost too clean, and the vocals are distinctive. This is due to the fact that singer Marco sings very raspy or rather hoarse. He sounds almost as if he has slight vocal issues, but still tries to deliver decent singing because someone has to sing. It doesn't sound bad, but here and there the power is lacking to give the songs the spice that the instrumental section demands.
The eleven-song CD is already a few days old. The reason I only received the CD now is that the album will be digitally re-released on January 20, 2012. Such things exist nowadays too. How about an album being re-released as a cassette? Yes, that’s absurd, but it would be something new, and who knows, maybe cassette players will trend again. I definitely still have one and would very much welcome this idea.
STATE OF EVIDENCE have presented a solid business card with this record, which has also earned them some concerts recently. It’s not a reinvention of the wheel, but an appealing performance by a band that will surely continue to find its fans, especially in the age groups of 16-25.
